Need ideas for planters

ryseryse_2004November 12, 2013

I use gourds for planters and would like to find other natural materials to use that would stay nice and not rot. (I coat the inside of the gourds with paraffin before drilling the holes in the bottom.)

I want to sell plants at the farmers mkt. in the summer and need ideas for free stuff to plant them in other than regular pots.

This is not a natural product, but I melt records (similar to the record bowls, only narrower and taller.) There is already a hole in the bottom and they are very unique and inexpensive. I sell the planters at our local farmers' market for $1.00 each.

For the planters, I use an empty large tin can. Experiment with the size of the can. It needs to be a little bigger in diameter than the size of the paper label. (Don't worry about the paper label in the oven, because it doesn't get hot enough to ruin it.) Place it upside down in an oven at around 220 and place the vinyl record album on top. In about a minute or two, the record will start to droop down around the can, Using a potholder, take the can with the record still on it out of the oven and shape it with your hands (if it is a little too warm, use a dry washcloth over the top of the record). You basically cup your hands around the outside, moving them around to get the "ruffles" fairly even. It will cool very quickly (in about one minute), and if you like it, just pop it off of the can and you can plant in it right away. If you are not happy with the shape, just stick it back in the oven for another minute and repeat. With practice, it becomes very easy to get a good result the first time. If your oven is a little too warm and the record kind of sticks to the can, just turn it down a little. Always do this with proper ventilation, but from what I have read, they really don't get hot enough to release any dangerous fumes. I have done it for years. My husband collects records and I get all of the scratched ones to craft with.

She went to Goodwill and looked for jeans for babies or very young kids. She then used something called "Stiffie" or something like that to make them stand up. She formed the waistband around an appropriate sized pot and rolled up the legs for a proper height.